West Coast Railway Heritage Park

Living in the Vancouver area for years, we were delighted to discover this gem in nearby Squamish!
An inexpensive treat for the entire family. I happen to love trains but the park is fun and interesting for everyone!

If you’re a Canadian train geek, this is the place to be.
Parking is plentiful in the nice gravel lot.
The visitor’s centre and gift shop is the first part you go through. After that it’s not exactly linear. I would recommend hitting the postal train first, then winding your way around the map in a clockwise direction.
The scale model here looks pretty cool, but it is about 10% incomplete. Hopefully they finish it soon.
I got a kick out of messing with the train simulator located in one of the train cars. No, you cannot cause the train to crash. I tried.
Some famous historically significant trains are also displayed here, as noted by congratulatory letters by the (former) Prime Minister and Premier of BC. And of course, one of the Royal Hudson (one of 12) trains is here.
Not sure if this museum is for everyone (it takes a certain kind of geek to truly appreciate the exhibits), but if you ever want to learn about some of the more famous Canadian trains, it doesn’t get any better than this.

The West Coast Railway Heritage Park is 40 km north of Vancouver, BC and a great stop along the road to Whistler for railroad fans of all ages. It’s open daily. You’ll find several lines of old rail cars in various stage of repair, some that you can walk through and that house museum-​type displays about the railroad and rail life, and others that you can view from down below. As always, watch out for wasps in those outdoor cars that are exposed to the elements. They also have a vintage house all set up and decorated from the 30s, a very nice modern roundhouse (with small conference space) and more cars and interactive exhibits, a mini rail train that you can take rides on, a big maintenance shed you can walk thru and even a little snack shack. Plan on this being a minimum of an hour stop (without riding the mini train), and more if you take your time with the displays. We give it a 4.5, with the big Sacramento Railroad Museum as our high bar. They have a family ticket that it is equal in price to 2 adults ($ 15) and one child ($ 10). They also offer a AAA discount.
We were just tourists passing through, but the WCRHP also offers a (stationary) birthday party caboose and annual events such as Polar Express holiday train, Day out with Thomas and Halloween Frightfest.